Alberta bans spears for hunting big game

A YouTube video posted on June 5, 2016, shows American hunter Josh Bowmar spearing a black bear from about 12 to 15 yards away with a homemade spear. The hunt was near Swan Hills, about two hours north of Edmonton.

The provincial government has instead formulated a list of approved weapons: rifles, shotguns and conventional archery gear.

The change comes after an outcry over a 2016 video posted on YouTube, in which American hunter Josh Bowmar speared a black bear in northern Alberta.

Many viewers at the time — including hunters — denounced the kill as “barbaric” and “unnecessary.”

The result is a list of permitted weapons, much like the approach used in other provinces. The new regulations also set a .24-calibre minimum for shotgun pellets when hunting big game.

In an interview with Postmedia, Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said the change is a result of extensive consultations with hunting associations, the Alberta Conservation Association and the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors’ Association.

Alberta Environment and Parks received more than 3,900 public responses to help shape the new regulations. Phillips said a majority of those supported a ban on spears.

Phillips said the previous government came up with a similar recommendation in 2014, but never implemented the change.

“There are substantive questions about whether spear hunting is a safe or humane way to undertake this activity,” Phillips said.

“Most hunters will tell you that the chances of getting close enough to hit a moving target with sufficient accuracy and actually kill it is next to zero.”

The new regulations won’t interfere with the rights of Indigenous hunters to practise traditional hunting methods.

About 118,000 people hunt big game in the province each year, more than 90 per cent of whom are Albertans.

The vast majority use firearms, with about 18 per cent getting a bowhunting licence instead.

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